


Azath's Dawn

by Digigal_transbian



Series: Digigal Main WIPs [7]
Category: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Adopted Toga Himiko, Akatani "Yamikumo" Mikumo and Midoriya Izuku are Twins, Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences, Cults, Eldritch Abominations (Cthulhu Mythos), Eldritch Abominations in Love (Cthulhu Mythos), Eldritch Midoriya Izuku, Eventual Romance, Good Parent Midoriya Hisashi, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, Lovecraftian, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Midoriya Izuku and Toga Himiko are Siblings, Multi, Pro Hero Midoriya Hisashi, R'lyeh (Cthulhu Mythos), R'lyehian Language, The Dreamlands (Cthulhu Mythos), The Shoggoths (Cthulhu Mythos), Vigilante Dabi (My Hero Academia)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digigal_transbian/pseuds/Digigal_transbian
Summary: Beyond the ordered universe, Azathoth dreams in his palace at the center of all.One day, he desires to heal, and his children suggest that Earth is where that recovery can take place. The King, dreaming to have his full power restored, takes a human avatar.That avatar is a young boy named Izuku Midoriya.Now, the world must face the consequences of the awakening Outer Gods from beyond the Black Tapestry as they turn their eyes on the Earth.Chaos follows.
Relationships: Ashido Mina/Uraraka Ochako/Yaoyorozu Momo, Asui Tsuyu/Kouda Kouji, Hatsume Mei/Kaminari Denki/Kirishima Eijirou, Jirou Kyouka/Midoriya Izuku/Tokoyami Fumikage, Midoriya Hisashi/Midoriya Inko
Series: Digigal Main WIPs [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772488
Comments: 66
Kudos: 223





	1. Azathoth Lw'nafh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Azath, Azathoth gathers his four children to enact his most recent will.

The cosmos is vast.

The true scale of the universe is unknown to most forms of life, limited by what can be seen alone. Few species among the stars have managed to extend their vision beyond the ninety three billion Lightyears of Earth. The few that dare to look beyond the boundaries of space and time all fall, the knowledge of what lies beyond the borders of ordered space being too great for them. Many species have reached the stars, and many have had eldritch dealings bring them great doom.

At the center of existence beyond all of time and space rests a palace. The palace is larger than any galaxy, constructed of materials unknown to any mortal that sheen in colors beyond light.

Beyond all stars, through every corner of time itself, sits a nebulous entity that wriggles and writhes mindlessly at the center of all reality. The Black Tapestry of existence exists with its unknowing master wrapped in it like a blanket. Countless servitors dance and play their accursed flutes around the King, maddening drums resonating through the halls with an irregular regularity. A being of pure song given life leads the symphony of the King, glowing in every color of sound.

At a time before time immemorial and coterminous with July 5, 2255, the being of the King's Will, Nyarlathotep, approaches his Father, the King. The Messenger of the Outer Gods has always known and enacted his Father's deepest desires, no matter how sporadic. Nyarlathotep kneels before the blighted throne of Azathoth as the song shifts ever so slightly.

'Gather your sibling equals.' The King's desire transmits to their child, the sound carving through the music like lyrics to a song.

"Father?" The messenger asks, what a curious request. The four of them have not been gathered together in unknown eons, what could Father want with the four of them?

The King ignores the question, returning their attention to their dreams. Nyarlathotep takes in the sight of his Father for a few moments longer before bounding through dimensions in search of his three siblings.

☆◇☆

The messenger of the gods, the darkness between the stars, and the milky mist of the void congregate in their father's court to decide how to fulfill his most recent desire. The illimitable androgynous desire floats off to the side, observing the Father with an unknowing gaze. The four of them are gathered in front of their Father for the first time in strange eons, eyes from beyond the stars focused on the central nucleus of all.

'My shell is broken.' The Father transmits to his four children, 'I am incomplete. I cannot dream my shell to return to me.'

The deities hear their Father, taking in his incomplete, yet still immensely and divinely powerful form with contemplative gazes. The true request is unspoken, and Father's will is sporadic at best and incomprehensible at worst. The King sits in his blighted throne at the true center of existence, endlessly writhing and wriggling tiredly. 

"Earth." The messenger god of the Grand Chaos snaps what would be called fingers by any human that happened to observe the action, understanding exactly what Father wants, "It's a quiet planet mostly, with enough forces beyond the natives' power that bow to us to ensure that nothing substantial can happen to our avatars."

The image of the Great Starspawn Dreamer of R'lyeh projects itself between the gathered Outer Gods, his hulking form gently rising and falling as he sleeps. His armies roam the streets of R'lyeh, living and enjoying their lives, patiently awaiting the day R'lyeh rises and claims the Earth for their master's rule.

The deity of life and death counters the messenger's claim, "Yet the method you suggest is beyond taking an avatar. You suggest becoming something new entirely."

"My rule is with the Dreamlands and by Father." The messenger deflects, "I will not be needed for the time required, you have spawn of your own, they can take your mantle for the extent until you are ready."

The deity of spacetime reality hums before turning their attention towards their twin, "My child is capable of the task, as is yours."

"But how will Father's shell return through Earth?" The illimitable desire inquires.

The messenger hums, "The natives of Earth have recently evolved varying powers, among them, there are two that when combined would behave as an absorptive multiplier. Orchestrate Father inheriting one and manipulate the other into his will, and now that absorptive multiplier is tied directly to his power."

"Amplify his power, amplify his will." The deity of life and death murmurs, "A reasonable path to take."

"Besides," Nyarlathotep shrugs, "Thanks to some old prayers made to Yog-Sothoth, their species has mutated to possess various magical powers. Alongside that comes a mind that can handle our existence marginally better than most. There are two powers that collect souls and build up power, we can orchestrate it so that father is given one, and takes the other in time."

Their Father writhes, opening a gate to the realm of Earth. It seems he agrees with his children's idea. The times are chosen, the powers are found and events are set in motion that shall culminate in their Father's glorious ascendancy to his fullest power once more.

"I shall stay in the palace in Father's absence." The superior of the Outer Gods hums, "The rest of you will be occupied with mortal matters, one of us must stay behind."

"As is his will, as it shall be." The messenger, the domain, and the dominion of Father intone in sync to Cxaxukluth. 

The Father moves into the realm of Earth, separating himself from his children by distances of time mere months in difference. The king moves to a conception happening on the night of July 15, 2255. The King's will, the King's domain, and the King's dominion move to other conceptions at nearby times.

They will meet again in time, the King does not wish to be alone for the entirety of his time in a human avatar, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, if you have any comments or questions, I would love to see them!
> 
> First Edits made on October 26, 2020.


	2. The Birth of Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at Hisashi and Inko's relationship, up until their children are born.

April 15, 2256.

Hisashi and Inko Midoriya are a mostly normal couple.

Inko met Hisashi Akatani at UA. She was studying in General Education, her future plans including a degree in Marine Biology and a stable job. 

He was in the Hero course, training to get his license and go rescue people from themselves. He hates the public aspect of heroism, how it all had basically devolved into a reality show of popularity. All he wanted to do was help and save people, and it was the best option he saw that would allow him to do exactly that.

They met when he tripped over her in the hall, as he stumbled, he caught himself in a handstand.

"Oh, hello floor. Lovely day for a fall, isn't it?" he said to the floor in a teasing manner, "Hey, you didn't happen to catch the name of the pretty girl I tripped over, did ya?"

"Inko Midoriya." She giggles out.

"Hisashi Akatani," he greeted, "see you at lunch?"

"If you can make it there." Inko teases, "Unless you'd like me to hold your hand?"

The two hit it off spectacularly. Two months later, the two officially start dating. Their relationship hits bumps and miscommunications during the rest of their two years at UA, but the two are inseparable, willing to learn from mistakes for each other.

The two settled into a quaint apartment together not long after graduation. Inko picks up a job at a local restaurant to help pay the bills while Hisashi sets himself up properly with an agency, setting some aside to pay for her college tuition.

He settles well into an agency, bringing in a stable income that allows Inko to go out and chase her dreams. She's easily accepted into her college of choice, and Hisashi is by her side every step of the way.

Being saved by her hero boyfriend after a party that Mitsuki Bakugou, a friend she met in her art classes at the college, held because the blonde just wanted to have some fun and get Inko some new friends, is something Inko will never forget.

Hisashi is a bit of a goof, making mostly harmless impulse decisions like the time when he tried to see if he could cook a romantic dinner with only his quirk. He was pleasantly surprised that Inko hired someone to fireproof the entire apartment beforehand, but if the steak were alive, it would wish it was dead.

Hisashi may be skilled in the kitchen, but he was banned from ever cooking with his quirk again after the "charcoal that might have been a steak in its past life" incident.

Inko got her degree in Marine Biology, as well as a minor in Astronomy with honors. To celebrate, Hisashi treated her to the most romantic evening they'd had yet. A movie, a candlelit dinner at an overly expensive -yet extremely high quality- restaurant, and a simple night of stargazing by a local pond where he would propose to her.

When Hisashi proposed to Inko, a duck stole the ring in its beak. Hisashi, not one to have his proposal be interrupted, even by nature, gave chase. He valiantly charged after the foul fowl, yet the bird cleverly took to the water of the nearby pond. The man and the bird lock eyes in a tense standoff, the duck's eyes seeming to say "Your move, punk."

Not one to be outsmarted by a single bird, Hisashi dove into the pond and continued his heroic chase. He did not care that his best suit was getting ruined by the water; he only cared that he rescued the ring from the fowl's grasp so that he could try and salvage the proposal. The man proves himself a faster swimmer than the duck, quickly catching up the bird and grabbing it firmly. The duck squirms, trying anything to escape Hisashi's grasp, but to no avail. Hisashi rescued the ring with a cheer and swam back to land, shooting the duck a look that promised great pain if it interfered again.

When Inko finally stopped laughing, she said yes.

Their wedding was an interesting affair. Inko had all but demanded that it be outdoors, much to Hisashi's chagrin. Animals just seem to love messing with him. They invited their families and friends from UA, the reception filling out wonderfully.

When she told the story of his proposal at their wedding, all the guests laughed. The mock-offended look on her husband's face made everything worth it.

They honeymooned in Okinawa. The mid July humidity encouraged little in terms of clothes, ultimately culminating in a few passionate nights.

Nine months later, two boys are born to Inko and Hisashi Midoriya. 

One has dark purple hair just like his father, and red and green eyes, freckles dotted across his face like stars in the sky. 

They name him Mikumo.

The other has forest green hair, like Inko, diamond freckles like Hisashi, and vibrant emerald green eyes like his mother.

They name him Izuku.


	3. Quirk Manifest Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikumo and Izuku manifest their quirks.

April 23, 2260.

Mikumo coughs one morning, and frost bursts from his mouth like a cloud of smoke. He frosts his cup over at breakfast, a thin coat of ice building up on the table. With another frosty cough, the cold tickling in the back of his throat, the frost begins to float around him, glinting in the light.

Merely an hour later, tendrils from the Black Tapestry emerge from the ground, as well as from Izuku's arm. Something about the tentacles looks off, something about the crinkling grey sheen, or how the move idly like hair flowing underwater.

Well, it looks like Izuku manifested his quirk today too. Thank the stars that the quirk doctor takes walk-ins.

☆◇☆

They arrive at the quirk doctor's offices in mere moments. Inko walks up to the receptionist to sign them in while Hisashi wrangles the kids. Izuku manifests tentacles from his arms for Mikumo to frost over, flicking the tentacles every so often so his brother could make it snow in the area. Various kids with a wide range of quirks surround them in awe of the stunning display of glittery frost suspended in the air.

The doctor calls them back into the room, and Mikumo leads the group triumphantly surrounded by the constant sparkle of frost. The old Doctor Tsubasa lets out a laugh at the childish antics, his bushy mustache shaking as he does.

They reach the examination room, having been successfully guided to the room by Mikumo, who is beaming in a way only proud four year olds seem to be able to. Hisashi chuckles at the proud face of his son as he muses about the last time he felt the same way. It's been years since he last felt proud of himself like that.

"So," The doctor starts as the family settles into the room, "Rumor has it that two of you just manifested your quirks?"

The two boys begin excitedly talking over each other, describing each other's quirks. The doctor chuckles, making a few notes of what he can understand from the two children. Being in the profession as long as he has, he's used to it.

The doctor puts his hand up and ushers them to calm down a little, "Let's start with… you, Mikumo. You mentioned something about ice breath?"

"Yeah!" Mikumo beams as he breathes a bunch of ice onto his arms. The boy breaks the ice with his hands and makes the glimmering shards orbit around him.

"Seems like we have a little Saturn on our hands." The doctor chuckles, making notes of the quirk's visible functions on his clipboard, "Could you perhaps be interested in astronomy?"

"Astronomy?" The violet haired boy inquires curiously.

"Astronomy is the study of space." The doctor explains to the child, watching as Mikumo's eyes widen in awe, "The rise of quirks did slow down our explorations of space, maybe you could be the one to put us on the moon?"

"So cool…" Mikumo whispers with an expected level of awe. The doctor internally smiles for potentially opening the child up to a career that isn't heroism.

Doctor Tsubasa turns his attention to Izuku, "And now, Izuku, let's see your quirk."

"Alright!" The boy beams, stretching his arms out and calling the tentacles forth. The tentacles have an unnatural appearance, ever shifting in colors near the green-blue part of the spectrum. They appear to be slimy, yet are smooth to the touch. A few tentacles appear from the ground near the boy, but not touching him. Unusual, but not uncommon.

The doctor says as he notes down the visual aspects of the quirk, being sure to add in a note about the headache he feels coming on from the sight of it, "Now, I'm going to need to perform the standard tests to determine some of the biological effects of these quirks, a blood draw and a full body x-ray."

"Of course, doctor." Inko nods, Hisashi still being lost in his head. Inko shakes her head lightly at Hisashi's spaced out expression as she turns to her kids, "Now, you two be brave for Doctor Tsubasa."

"Yes, mom." The kids smile and puff out their chests in their image of being brave and strong.

The bushy moustached doctor guides the kids to the x-ray room, his mind flicking to his employer. The image of a white haired twenty-something year old man shapes in his mind, cackling over some new quirks. He owes everything to the man, but these are children. Bright, doe eyed children. Thankfully, he seems to not be alone in his hesitancy to bring children into the warring shadows, his employer specifically choosing patient manipulation over theft. It's not much better, but the doctor takes what he can get. Beggars of the dark underworld can't be choosers, after all.

They reach the testing room and the doctor ushers the two kids inside. The blood draw goes without issue, Mikumo being Izuku's comfort while Izuku acts as Mikumo's comfort.

The old man sets the x-ray machine up for use, waving Mikumo over to his side to be away from as much unnecessary radiation as possible. The doctor explains everything he does to the children, a mindless little thing he does whenever he has to perform the standard set of tests that usually interests the kids being tested on. They generally respond well to the little medical fun facts, and when you've been in the profession for longer than their parents have been alive, you pick up on a good number of things a child might find interesting.

Besides, if he can interest them enough in what he's doing, that's fewer people his primary employer has reason to "incapacitate".

The x-rays scan Izuku and he begins to glow an almost unnoticeable dark violet. The light ripples all over him, glimmering and sheening in unnatural ways that suit him perfectly. Previously unseen eyes bubble all over his form, his skin unchanging under the ever shifting glow. Mikumo and the doctor look at the boy curiously, having never seen anything like it before.

Doctor Tsubasa blinks at the boy as the x-ray finishes the scan. Having watched the dancing light, the doctor makes a note in the child's quirk file. Mentally, he has already internalized not telling his employer about this child, not yet. His eyes shift to the imaging results as he notices something strange. X-ray images only show black and white, this is a fact he knows from his many years in the field. X-rays only have the ability to image multiple shades of grey, like bones.

If x-ray images can only be monochromatic, why are there also traces of blurry gold markings in the images?

◇-<>-◇

Abridged Quirk File

Name: Izuku Midoriya

Quirk: Tentacle Summon

Functions: User has the ability to generate tentacles from solid surfaces. Tentacles have a memetic effect where, if someone stares at them for too long, they will begin developing a headache.

Notes: Glows an almost imperceptible dark violet under X-rays, revealing a second "skin". This second skin seems to have no impact on everyday life, as it only appears under x-rays. If anything develops of it, schedule a follow up appointment. Potential future transformation aspect.

X-ray imaging reveals unusual gold markings, connected all by a single line into the brain. Markings light up when the quirk is in use, seeming to be akin to specialized quirk conduits.

◇-<>-◇

Abridged Quirk File

Name: Mikumo Midoriya

Quirk: Cryokinetic Breath

Functions: User has the ability of frost breath, as well as the ability to control the ice they generate. Any ice they touch also comes under their control.

Notes: User runs generally colder than most people, but this is standard for ice quirks. Quirk overuse can lead to Hypothermia, but measures can be taken to keep their body temperature leveled out. Warmer outfits can help offset the lower body temperature.

◇-<>-◇

"We're gonna be heroes!"

Hisashi suppresses a grimace at the bold proclamation, deciding to not ruin their innocent view of the world just yet.

☆◇☆

It is not long until the Midoriya family learns something new about Izuku's quirk.

"Gnadlath, vra y'ai." Izuku intones in a voice that is and isn't his, "T'ah llllwgah'nagl hafh'drn syha'h, T'ngah shtunggli shugg nafls'dathog!"

The ability to speak in an eldritch tongue that causes anyone who hears it to see flashes of images in their minds, alongside a throbbing headache near the sinuses.

☆◇☆

The next day at school, Bakugou and his friends swarm the Midoriya brothers about their quirks.

"C'mon, let's see 'em!"

"Yeah, show us!"

Mikumo breathes ice into his hand and makes it float around him, electing to not push his quirk as far as possible to avoid the health risks. Izuku pulls his quirk out from his arms, eldritch tendrils shifting idly in the breeze.

Bakugou looks at Izuku's quirk and feels something uncomfortable settle in his mind. The sight of the tentacles from beyond the infinite abyss floods him with multiple emotions, fear, disgust, and anger. How dare the greenette make the great Katsuki Bakugou feel afraid?

Over the following weeks, Bakugou manages to convince everyone at the school that Izuku's quirk is villainous. Abuse of all kinds becomes a regular part of Izuku's school day from then on. Mikumo steps in to protect his brother, knowing full and well that Izuku could protect himself if he wanted to. The two boys become experts at handling burns, cuts, and bruises at far too young. Hisashi and Inko have their suspicions, but without their kids confirming them, their options are limited.

Izuku never tells them, he doesn't want them to worry about him more than they do.

☆◇☆

Beyond the universe, in the great palace of Azath, Cxaxukluth and the living song, Tru'nembra, observe as Izuku taps into his powers for the first time, the living song tuning itself to a joyous melody.

"Iä, Iä! Our King sings again!" The song sings, "As do his children three! The orchestration is moving from the prelude into the first movement!"

The insectoid Outer God hums, "Indeed, everything is going according to schedule." They click their mandibles, "The doctor is going to prove troublesome if something isn't done about him."

"He works for the Thieves Key, does he not?" The song twings, "We could orchestrate him to be involved with the Awakening. After all, what good is a story without an antagonist?"

"Your point is well made, advisor. Father shall inherit the Succession Key and steal the Thieves Key before he awakens in truth." Cxaxukluth chuckles, their mandibles clicking together lightly, "Father has many against him, and many for him. His allies are numerous, but so shall be the challenges he will overcome."

"The blond one shall make good fun for the fertility grandchild of Father."

"Indeed."

The sound of planets dying echoes through the corridor, drawing their attention to the source.

"Ghroth has certainly been busy as of late." Tru'nembra observes, "It would be a shame for the King to awaken to an empty domain."

"Ghroth is just bored. He knows when to stop." Cxaxukluth replies, eyeing the destruction warily before adding under his breath, "He had damn well better know when to stop."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the shorter chapter, I initially planned that up to the current chapter 7 would be all 1 chapter, but then I decided to split it into the separate ones.
> 
> I may not be the best at consistent posting, but I swear I'll try to be regular with my updates. Emphasis on try, I make very little promises about the results, they can speak for themselves.
> 
> Between fanfics and a massive original project of mine that I think might be interesting to a few folk here, I've got a lot and get easily distracted.
> 
> Updated with edits and expansions as of 10/27/2020.


	4. Vampiric Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hisashi finds an abandoned child.

October 7, 2261.

He was only supposed to get milk.

His hero sense was screaming at him, dragging him into an alley where he knew he'd be needed. The sound of soft crying reaches his ears as he picks up the pace. Something was wrong and it's his job to find out what.

His dad sense was also blaring alarm bells in his head, though he couldn't place why.

Hisashi comes around a corner carefully, eyes scanning for trouble when he finds her.

Oh.

That's why his dad sense was going off.

She's small, looking no older than his sons. Her messy blonde hair sits around as long as her shoulders, blood red eyes shrinking to terrified pinpricks as she backs against a wall when she notices him. She looks so frail, like she hasn't had a half decent meal in weeks.

"Heya, kiddo." Hisashi says softly, trying not to scare her any more than she already is, "Whatchya doin' out here by yourself?"

Hisashi is filled with a rage that could kill a god at the sight of her. She's shaking like a leaf, who could be so heartless to a kid? Why is she out here alone, looking half starved and terrified of everything? Every paternal fiber in his being screams that he needs to find her parents and teach them what death feels like.

She doesn't answer. He sighs.

"Can I at least get your name?" Hisashi asks with his dad voice, fishing out his hero license from his pocket and showing it to her, "I'm a hero, you can trust me."

"Himiko." She whispers, it's better than nothing.

Hisashi hums, "You can call me Hisashi, Himiko. So what brings a little girl like you out to a place like this?"

"My parents don't want me…"

Hisashi feels the heat building up in his throat and tilts his head up to blow the smoke into the air away from her. Child abandonment cases always get under his skin.

"Well, that's an awfully mean thing for them to do." Hisashi replies gently, "Why would those meanies do that?"

"Because of my quirk…"

Oh. It's one of these cases. Himiko has no obvious mutations, aside from the fangs-

Oh, this is one of Those cases. A child manifests a "villainous" quirk and the parents decide to just leave the kid on the streets. Of all the rotten fucking goddamned things two bitchass parents could pull. Abandoning a child with a blood quirk because they have a blood quirk. A fact that's less common to know than it should be is that most people with blood quirks require special diets, and leaving a child to deal with that all on her own is an absolute injustice.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and dials his favorite rookie detective.

"Tsukauchi?" Hisashi speaks into the receiver, "15-7-5 behind the convenience store on Hamamatsu. The one from the lemon villain incident a couple weeks ago."

Hisashi turns his attention back to the scared and starving little girl, "15-7 is code for an abandoned child due to quirkism, the extra 5 is because you look about 5 years old." He explains to her, soothing her nerves slightly, "We'll figure something out to help you on the ride to the station. Your parents won't get away with this."

☆◇☆

Hisashi Midoriya returns home to his family later in the day with Himiko and a folder in tow. He hands the folder over to and relays the story to Inko, who immediately adores the child. She looks in the folder and finds the heroic foster documentation, her eyes widening as Hisashi sheepishly runs the back of his head.

"The foster system wouldn't treat her right, given she's got a blood quirk." He explains, "So I may have brought up that we're willing to take her in. Sorry about not calling you first, honey."

Himiko Toga becomes Himiko Midoriya not long after. 

She fits right in with her new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Himiko Midoriya
> 
> For any curious about how far I am in the story, I have parts of the first 32 chapters written. I have a similar case with some other stories, I really do want to finish some of my other stories before I start trying to make more.


	5. The Church On Carcosa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a Father-Sons day, the Midoriya males encounter the Church on Carcosa street.

January 4, 2262.

The Midoriya family has never given much through to the church on Carcosa street.

Neither Inko's family or Hisashi's family were particularly religious growing up. While the two parents had certainly heard about most religions and churches in the area, they never really played much mind to them. There was no real incentive to explore spirituality for either of them, they were content with the lives they were living and many, if not most churches in the area, have had a history of… questionable conversion practices in the past. Besides, if the kids want to learn more about various religions, they can always ask.

The Church of R'lyeh on Carcosa street is an outlier, however. Finding information on them is unusually difficult, nothing bad explicitly has come to light about the place, but Hisashi still has his doubts. Something seems off about the place, he just can't place what.

Which is why, when Izuku asks if they can go in said church, Hisashi hesitates. Inko is away with Himiko having a Mother-Daughter day, while he has the boys for a Father-Sons day. His wife and daughter are having a spa day while his green son wants to look around at the one sketchy church he couldn't find much information on.

"Please dad, it looks so cool!" Mikumo speaks up, double teaming him on the puppy eyes. The traitor.

Hisashi sighs, being thoroughly defeated by the might of his sons' pleading eyes.

The door of the church is strange, the handle is crafted in the shape of a golden key with the bow at the bottom and the teeth facing up. Bizarrely cut teeth sit on both sides of the double stemmed key, obviously being imagery, but of what?

Hisashi hesitantly grabs the right side of the door and opens it.

An unplaceable smell fills his senses. It's not indescribable, just unplaceable, familiar in an unknown way. The smell itself is pleasant, vaguely reminiscent of a forest, an ocean, and the stars themselves. It smells like rainbow fractals from an unknown realm of dreams that he's been too before by accident. Images of a city populated entirely by cats appear in the back of his mind, adding to the distant familiarity.

A priest takes notice of the party of three, "Welcome!" They greet, "I don't believe we've met before, are you new here, perhaps?"

The priest wears a silvery grey that shifts in a gradient into a cosmic black, dotted with a rainbow of galaxies. The kids look at him with stars in their eyes, thinking the robes to be the coolest thing they've ever seen. Hisashi is visibly neutral, guarded, trying to figure out what exactly is up with the church.

"It's not one of those, 'all religion is evil' deals," Hisashi explains preemptively, "It's just that neither my wife nor I have been particularly religious in the past, and we try to look into churches in the event that our kids start to ask about those kinds of things. It's pretty suspicious when we can't find much of anything on this church at all."

"Understandable, we ask that certain information doesn't get out for protection's sake, which ultimately limits how much information about us can spread."

"Which isn't suspicious." Hisashi sarcastically quips.

The priest chuckles good naturedly, "Believe me sir, I do understand your suspicions. I assure you, we aren't a death cult here. We only request certain information to stay quiet because we've seen the side effects of it being loose, and would prefer issues from arising if the wrong people gained access to it. You no doubt remember the Akihabara incident from around eight years ago?"

"I do." Hisashi nods, not liking where this is going, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Someone took information this church keeps control over into their own hands. An ill prepared summoner made some poor choices, and that is one of the reasons why we try to keep information under wraps as best we can." The priest elaborates, "Having it so the information can only come from us in person makes it much easier to make sure another Akihabara doesn't happen."

"I see."

It is then that Mikumo decides to stroll over and grab the attention of the priest. "Mister?" He asks, head cocked to the side.

The priest looks down at the children with a soft smile, "Yes, young one?"

"What does that say?" Mikumo points at some scroll on the wall nearby, a strange language written on it.

"Hmmm?" The priest follows where the child is pointing and locks eyes with a scroll depicting a being with an octopoid head and thin, leathery wings, "Oh, that reads, 'Ph'nglui mglw'nafh cthulhu r'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.' It is a confirmation of the Great Dreamer of R'lyeh."

"Coooool." Mikumo whispers in a childlike awe, a small amount of frost absentmindedly forming in the air in front of him.

An unreadable look appears on Hisashi's face, "Wait, wait, wait. I've heard that language before, just with more headache."

Izuku's expression explodes with joy, "You speak it too!" he excitedly exclaims, "Azathedsh! T'ai azathedsh!"

The priest looks absolutely stunned while Hisashi and Mikumo wince. A child, speaking the holy language? And so fluently, too. "Niggof'n, goka yaee. Y'ai kraddath Azathoth hupadgh?" They ask the young one, causing the boy to beam brightly.

"Cxaxukluth, N'yog-Sothep, N'shub-Nigathep, ngNyarlathotep!" Izuku chirps gleefully.

The priest quickly pulls a small notebook out of their pocket and scribbles down a part of a quote before handing it over to Izuku, "Read the first few lines of this out loud, if you would please?"

"Okay!" Izuku smiles as he takes the book from the priest. He reads aloud, "Ph'shugg naflehye n'zvsha naph'nafllloig lirgh ngsoth aznilgh'ri—syha'h ghatan lhu Azathoth."

The priest gasps softly while Hisashi pops an aspirin, giving Mikumo a child's one to alleviate his own headache, "He speaks it better than anyone I've ever heard…" They whisper, mystified by the child before him, "He's just a boy, yet he speaks the holy tongue flawlessly. Even his pronunciations are perfect. I've never once heard such fluent pronunciation of that language even in an adult..."

Hisashi hums, "He just speaks it from time to time, even writes a few things too. Never knew how he learned it, he just seems to know it."

"He can write it too?" The priest is dumbfounded, "Azathoth ph'lw'nafh… The language in truth is partially telepathic, so if you don't have a telepathy quirk or anything similar, headaches are bound to happen from truly fluent speakers."

"You seem to know what is going on with my son, and I want answers." Hisashi squints at the priest, distrust for the practice radiating off of the parent.

"Ah, we have the answers you seek. All you have to do is attend our services to receive them in full, given that we do not know the full extent of your questions."

Hisashi sighs, it's probably the best offer he's going to get from the priest, "If you have them, I think I'll take them, but first, I want to know what I'd be attending. I'm not bringing my family to a church I don't know."

"Of course, of course." The priest reassures, "I completely understand your concerns. Our faith is built upon the imagery of keys to a gate, each turn being a form of worship."

"Turn?"

"Have you seen Star Wars?" The priest asks, trying to find a way to explain it so even the present children can understand, "The turns of the keys can be described similar to the sides of the force. The light side turns the keys left, locking the Elder Ones away. The dark side turns the key to the right, opening the gate and bringing them into our world. Our church sits in the middle, neither letting them in or keeping them out. We simply seek to understand them and their power."

Hisashi mulls over the words for a moment before speaking up, "You preach safety more than anything when it comes to these forces, don't you? Instead of keeping the information locked away from everyone forever, you keep the information available in a controlled environment, with proper education on how to not summon the next Satan."

The priest nods, "Something like that. There are three forces; the Outer Gods reside atop all, while the Great Old Ones and the Elder Gods rule below them."

"How do you know they're real?" Hisashi presses, trying to dig as much information as he can out of the clergyman as he can.

"They do exist, and their influences can be seen all around us in microcosm. Literal or not, they are real." The priest gestures widely, "Again, I mention Akihabara."

"Understandable enough, I've seen the reports on that mess."

"We hold services every Sunday morning from 9 until 11. You and your family are welcome to attend, and if you ultimately decide our church isn't for you, you are free to leave at your discretion." 

☆◇☆

After a conversation with Inko and Himiko later that day, the Midoriyas make it a point to try and attend a service at the church every Sunday from then on out. Services at the Church of R'lyeh aren't crowded, and the Midoriya family slowly become believers, even if somewhat skeptical. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had an idea for a Helltaker × BNHA fic, technically 3 ideas I can't decide between.
> 
> 1\. Regular Manifest: Izuku develops a quirk that allows him to create portals to Hell, as well as gain powers from demons that respect him.
> 
> 2\. Dorm Manifest: Probably something to do with OFA's past holders and the quirk evolving from being in constant contact with the OFA stockpile.
> 
> 3\. Poor Timing: Izuku dies too early and becomes basically a secretary for the demons.


	6. Nogsoth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Midoriya family find a baby Shoggoth, separated from her family.

June 27, 2267.

They find an ameboid creature on the beach, constantly shifting and changing. She's no larger than a fully grown Maine Coon, her form generally balancing into a grey hue. She has a faint odor to her, but it's nothing a good bath won't fix. Green eyes, several mouths, and a few tentacles appear and bubble from her central mass, but due to constant exposure to Izuku and the things they've heard about from the Church of R'lyeh, the Midoriya family is used to such unusual sights.

The church mentioned a creature like this before, a Shoggoth. Apparently, they were originally made by a race of Elder Things as servitors, before they rapidly evolved a sentience and slaughtered their slavers en masse. Nowadays, the Elder Things that still exist have fled the Earth, while the Shoggoths live in small packs dotted across the bottom of the sea. They prefer to avoid contact with sentient species in general due to how the Elder Things treated them, developing a species-wide depression that plagues them to this day because of their time as a slave race in days long gone.

Himiko, the once forgotten girl, approaches the scared baby Shoggoth gently, Izuku and Mikumo following right behind her. Slowly, they coax the Shoggoth over to them.

Izuku speaks to the Shoggoth in the alien tongue they both understand, a gut instinct telling him that fact. He learns that she was separated from her family by a strong current, and that they were initially on a hunt because local fishing operations were disturbing their usual feeding grounds. She cries tears with an oily sheen as she asks what happened to her family.

The Midoriyas have no answer, but they promise to help look for the little entity's family.

They ultimately don't find her family, so they keep her and keep looking. Altering bringing the little Shoggoth to the priest of the church on Carcosa street, they confirm that the sealife preservation organization that Inko is a part of already works with the church in similar matters. They make an offhand comment about how strange it is that a Shoggoth would come this close to land, but offer the Midoriya family the tools they need to take care of the little being.

They name the little Shoggoth, "Nogsoth". She eats a diet of mostly raw fish and likes to sleep on her family's laps. Sometimes, in the dead of night, she can be heard humming a small tune while she rests. She has bad days when she's just sad constantly due to her species' hereditary depression, but her family loves her regardless. She also flinches at the sounds of things breaking, which happens generally in a house with three kids and a slightly accident prone father, but they make an effort to be extra cautious around her.

Nogsoth smells vaguely like cherries, and she loves her new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might edit some of these first chapters in the future, but I'm undecided. Add a couple more scenes here and there maybe.
> 
> Anyways, option 1 and 3 for the Boku No Helltaker Academia crossover seem to be popular, so they're in the list!


	7. Dabi and the Undergrounder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dabi encounters the Underground Hero, Drake.

March 7, 2263.

"You know, nasty weather out tonight."

Dabi flinches, "What do you want, hero?" He didn't expect to run into any heroes, he was just trying to find somewhere to hole up for the night. The last apartment he stayed in was raided, so that's out of the question.

"I'm not here for you, well technically." Drake, the underground hero passively replies, "I'm just passing through and the Commission really wants you put away. However, I think you just need something. None of the reports of you make you seem like a bad guy, you know?"

Dabi looks at Drake, really looks at him. The hero's hands are visible, one against the wall and the other hanging loosely at his side. He looks like he's just here to talk, and fully ready to leave on a moment's notice.

"You heroes are corrupt." Dabi brushes off, hoping the hero will just walk away.

"Good number of Daylighters are, I can't deny that. Lots of 'em are in it for the glory and cash." Drake shrugs, "But the Undergrounders I've met are basically just legal vigilantes."

"Tch." Dabi scoffs, "What are you actually here for then?"

Drake shrugs, "I've got a little project you might be interested in. We're calling it the 'Phoenixian Hero System', an overhaul to the current system that focuses more on actually solving the issues that create villains."

"Let me guess, you want me to join your little project?" Dabi guesses, blue eyes locked with Drake's violet ones, "Not happening."

"Then strike me a deal, I can get you off the streets, paid, housed, fed, and licensed to keep doing your vigilante thing without the police on your neck at every turn. All you have to do is work for me at my agency so I can keep the Hero Commission of your ass. We can get you proper gear, medical, and the works."

"I can't, people will ask too many questions about my identity." Dabi denies.

Drake waves his hand like it's nothing, "Then we get you a new one, simple as that. Endeavor works day shifts only, and he barely ever touches these parts of town except to pass through to somewhere else. He won't even have to know you exist, Touya Todoroki."

Dabi flinches, a look of panic spreading across his face, "H-how did you…?" He stutters out.

"Blue fire, appeared after Touya went missing, general build." Drake replies, gesturing vaguely at the vigilante, "It's the only thing that makes sense. You also seem to absolutely despise him, which is relatable as hell. He'll never find out about you, Touya. Only a handful of people would know who you really are, I'm giving you the chance to start fresh and give your old man the finger by being a better hero than he is."

Touya hesitates, Drake's offer is solid enough, and Undergrounders do work basically as legal vigilantes. If Hisashi can sweeten the deal just a little more, Touya feels like he just might accept.

"So, what will it be, hot shot?" Drake starts, seeming to read the teen's mind, "The hero system needs abolition, but in order to pull it off we need allies that will be there for the long haul. We're going to use the system against itself."

By the end of the week, Drake is working with Koujin to bring down a child trafficking ring. They rescue all 15 kids and give a "phoenixian arrest" to the 27 villains in dealings with the ring. A few of the villains die, but omelettes can't be made without breaking a few eggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got some work done on up to chapter 32, and hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters out soon. Ultimately it boils down to me just getting them done.
> 
> Unimatrix 09 has a couple chapters in the same "I've Started It" Limbo, so does Second Chances, A Peach Sapphire, Pearl Recognition, The Doctor of Shadows, Late Night Chaos, The Gem of All(an unposted Steven Universe × BNHA crossover), and three Star Trek fics I haven't finished the first chapters of. As well as a few Steven Universe fic ideas which when I update another one of those fics, I'll out some summaries in the end notes of the new chapter.
> 
> If I post a single chapter and then drop off the face of the earth, assume I'm doing it as a proof of concept and moving it from the Docs to the List, also saving tags. I swear it'll get updated in the future, I just keep getting new ideas that distract me.


	8. He Joked About A Swan Dive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku has a bad day and Mikumo wants to kill Bakugou.

If you asked Izuku, he'd tell you he enjoyed school.

This, of course, is a lie. Every morning, he wakes up dreading the fact that he'll have to deal with Katsuki. The platinum blond's explosive temper has been aimed at the greenette ever since quirk development, the sherr act of Izuku existing being the only discernible cause for such a vehement ire. Katsuki's lackeys only serve to make matters worse.

Beyond his explosive personal demon, the school itself is also his personal hell.

Situations from students and teachers alike targeted at him constantly. Izuku has stopped bringing water bottles to school, the last time he did bring one, he was drugged. He finds razors taped hidden in his locker and in places where if he isn't constantly vigilant, they'll slice into him. Death threats, bruises, cuts, burns, if it wasn't for Mikumo or Himiko, Izuku's not sure he'd still be alive to tell the tale.

Other situations include today.

"Oh, and both Midoriyas are also applying to UA, aren't you?" Izuku's homeroom teacher, Mr. Akumate, mentions passingly, knowing full and well what he's wrought on the greenette. Instantly, all eyes in the room are locked on Izuku, save for Mikumo, who is keeping an eye on Bakugou.

Laughter explodes throughout the room. Insults fly casually, each stabbing into Izuku's very core no matter how much he shows otherwise. A distant part of him reminds itself that this is what he wanted, no one ever said he had to be happy about it. Katsuki shoots him a glare filled with murderous rage, but ultimately says nothing. The blond knows that Mikumo could probably take him in a fight, so he chooses silence over having ice where no man should feel the freezing chill.

The rest of the day passes with only some residual laughter from his classmates, and vitriolic glares from Katsuki.

Mikumo steps out of the room and Izuku goes to follow, but is stopped by Katsuki and his lackeys.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Katsuki's voice drips out sadistically, "The local villain wants to play hero, even has his little 'Villain Notes' with him."

Katsuki grabs Izuku's notebook, burns it with his quirk, and tosses it out the window without a second thought. His lackeys all laugh at the action as Izuku shrinks in on himself slightly.

"If you want to be a hero so bad, here's some free advice." Katsuki says with a saccharine grin that oozes malice, "Take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a good quirk in your next life."

The ash blond shoves Izuku against a wall as he stalks off past Mikumo and Himiko. He pays them no mind, they mean nothing to him.

Izuku's siblings step into the room, Mikumo helping Izuku back to his feet while Himiko leans against the wall near the door. Izuku has a look in his eyes that the two of them recognize instantly.

"Don't even start." Mikumo preemptively stops Izuku from spouting the usual 'don't tell mom or dad's schtick, "He joked about a swan dive off the roof, Izuku." The violet haired teen states flatly with a look of utter doneness in his eyes, "That's suicide baiting, a legitimate crime that could and should keep him out of a hero school for good."

"But-" Izuku tries to argue.

"Why do you argue for him?" Himiko asks, leaning against the wall with a sad frown, "He's been nothing but cruel to you for as long as I've known you, he openly hates your existence, he's been nothing but your personal villain and you keep us from saying anything, so why?"

Izuku feels like he's been slapped by those words. She's right and he knows it.

"Izuku, if he does a single thing more to you, I'm telling mom and dad everything." Mikumo's eyes bore into his brother's core, not giving him a chance to spout endless excuses, "I'm done with this all, we never should have let you defend him. Dad knows a lie detector in the local police, the second he finds out you know who he's going to call."

"Bakugou won't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of prison time." Himiko confirms with a catlike grin, "C'mon Miku, let's go."

"Wait!" Izuku calls as they walk out of the room, desperation etched in every feature of his face, "Promise you won't tell them?"

Mikumo and Himiko look at him silently. Without so much as a sound, they turn back and walk away, leaving Izuku to his despair. The door closes as their footsteps echo down an empty hall.

Izuku stands silently in the empty classroom for a few minutes before leaving to retrieve his notebook out of the koi pond.

☆◇☆

The walk back home is quiet, almost deathly so.

His notebook wasn't completely ruined, the damage was mostly superficial. It's a small victory on this day that just seems to get worse and worse.

Izuku's mind wanders back to what his brother and sister said earlier about Bakugou. The explosive blond has always been a tricky subject for the greenette. Yes, Izuku knows that Katsuki hates him for the sole reasons of Izuku's stubborn existence and his freaky quirk. It's not like Izuku can control the fact his quirk is that he can summon nightmare tentacles from the Black Tapestry.

Mikumo always has looked out for him, standing up against Bakugou. Overtime, keeping a promise to Izuku became like drawing blood from a stone. It didn't take too long for the violet haired teen to focus more on taking care of the wounds than preventing them. Katsuki and Izuku are stubborn in the worst ways, if they want something, they get it.

Himiko came into the picture and it was the same song and dance. The only differences were that she was significantly less afraid of Katsuki than Izuku was. Mikumo always kept a healthy distance from the explosive blond, partly because fire and ice are functional antithesis to each other, but Himiko had no such qualms. She's never been afraid to get dirty against Bakugou, especially after she learned that her quirk can allow her to copy the quirks of others for a time. Izuku eventually got her to back down, but she's an agent of chaos at her core, just like her two brothers.

You don't live in close proximity to Izuku without at least mild insanity.

As much as they don't like it, Izuku is important to them, and they do genuinely care about him. That doesn't mean they don't vent out frustrations with him during training, though. He's oddly durable and Katsuki has given him an unpleasantly high pain tolerance.

He grimaces slightly as he walks. All he wants is Katsuki to have a chance to be the hero that Izuku knows he can be. Is that so wrong? Katsuki could be a great hero, attitude notwithstanding. Mikumo and Himiko know better, though. Any decent hero would at least be a good person, and if you asked them what they thought of Bakugou, they'd eventually have listed off every swear and curse until they would have to make six more.

Izuku looks up and notices that he's under a bridge. A strange sense of danger floods his senses, putting him immediately on edge. The sound of rushing ooze explodes from the manhole cover just behind him, causing him to sharply turn towards the sound, widening his eyes at a villain made entirely of sludge rapidly flowing towards him.

"A medium sized invisibility suit, it's my lucky day! You're a lifesaver kid!" The sludge calls with mania in his voice, "Now just hold still, this is only going to hurt like hell!"

Sludge wraps around his limbs, holding him firmly in place. A tendril from the villain tries to force itself down Izuku's throat any way possible, but he locks his jaw closed as hard as he can. If the sludge is anything like his tentacles, all he needs to do is keep himself closed and not let it in.

'Well,' Izuku thinks as the sludge engulfs him, beginning to cause him to choke, 'at least he's not a liar.'

He struggles to get out of the slime villain's grasp, to no avail. Izuku can feel his consciousness slipping away from him, tears pricking at his eyes. He's going to die here. He's going to die all alone under some bridge.

His vision fades to black as he faintly hears a comfortingly familiar voice, as well as an unusual song in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alternating between Bakugou and Katsuki on purpose, to kind of show the relationship between him and the topic of the sentence.
> 
> Also, I am not happy with how some of the first chapters came out, so I'll be editing them over time. Specifically, there's stuff I want to include in the Quirk Manifest chapter, and in the Azath chapter I feel like it could be a little longer, a little more descriptive. The Nogsoth chapter could use some dialogue as well. The first seven chapters were originally the first chapter and it shows.
> 
> The perks of fanfiction, I can edit on the fly.
> 
> Also! Option 1 for the Helltaker BNHA crossover is planned up to chapter 18, so the first chapters hopefully might be coming soon!
> 
> Chapter 9 starts including the R'lyehian language a little bit more, so that means I have to make some of the words I want.


	9. Explosive Sewage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Izuku meets All Might, and hears a strange song.

A song can be heard in the depths of Izuku's unconscious mind.

"T's'dath naflhai, Azathoth'bthnk. Nafhtagn nggha, Azathothig, t'ee shubngtho ah l'geb."

Izuku looks at the living song's message, understanding the words, but not the true meanings. He looks at the source of the message and tries to understand the image of the living song, but before he can make any progress, the void around him fades to white as he slowly wakes up.

☆◇☆

When Izuku comes to, the first image he's greeted to is All Might patting his cheek to wake him up.

"Thought we lost you there!" The big man booms.

As someone who has devoted himself to his religion first and All Might second, though some might argue that it's the other way around, Izuku tries to keep his composure.

He does not succeed.

"Ah! It's All Might!"

The wall of good natured beef that is All Might boisterously booms a laugh. He always has had a soft spot towards his fans.

"Those are some impressive notes, young man!" The man compliments truthfully, "Are you perhaps interested in becoming an analyst? The hero world could always do with more high quality analysis on their side!"

"A-actually, I've always wanted to be a hero, sir." Izuku stutters out sheepishly

"A noble choice of profession!" All Might gives Izuku a thumbs up, "I believe in you, kid!"

Izuku beams before remembering something, "Could I get an autograph?"

"Check your notebook, young fan!" The hero points to the book in question with a large finger. Izuku flips through his charred notebook and lands on a page that was empty before. Now, All Might's signature fills the entire thing, as well as a note underneath it.

'This is some impressive analysis! I know you'll go far with it! - All Might'

"Now, I'd best be off to get this villain to the police!" All Might booms as he turns to make his dramatic exit.

"Wait! I just have one question!"

"No time, kid!" All Might replies in a hurry, readying to take off with a mighty jump. Izuku latches onto the hero's leg as he leaps off into the sky. All Might notices the weight and shakes his leg, careful to not shift too far off course.

"I love my fans, but this is too much!"

"If I let go, I'll die!" Izuku helpfully reminds him.

"Oh, right." All Might blanches, he knew that, "Well just keep your mouth closed for now, you'll catch flies."

Unseen to either of them, the bottle containing the villain falls out of the hero's pocket mid flight.

They land on the roof of a nearby office building with little fanfare after a minute of flight.

"Just knock on the door, someone will let you in." The hero says simply as he turns his back to the boy, steam rolling off his body.

"Wait!" Izuku calls out, "All my life, I've wanted to be a hero. I always wanted to help people, just to help them. But because of my quirk, I've been told I'll only end up a villain. I just want to know, even with a creepy quirk, can I be a hero?"

"Creepy Quir-" All Might starts, before cutting himself off with a heavy coughing fit and deflating.

Izuku blinks at the deflated All Might as he processes what just happened. The number one hero just deflated like a beefy balloon in front of him, and he looks so painfully frail.

"What happened?" Izuku whispers against his own will.

Small Might sighs as he lifts up the side of his shirt, revealing a nastily gnarled and twisted scar on his left side, "Five years ago, there was a fight with a villain that did this to me."

"Five years…" Izuku mutters under his breath, "Toxic Chainsaw couldn't have done this to you, he barely touched you."

The deflated hero mirthlessly chuckles, "You sure know your stuff, kid. No, it wasn't him. This happened about a month and a half later and wasn't publicized."

"If word got out that a villain could do that to you, it'd be mass pandemonium in the streets." Izuku realizes with a dawning look of horror, "Don't worry sir, I won't say a word about this."

Truth be told, some distant part of Izuku feels like he already knew this. All Might's disappearance from the public eye for a short time, his steady decline in appearances, only being around for shorter and shorter times, all of it paints a gruesome picture. The scar says a thousand unpleasant words of a grueling fight that could level city blocks, of a villain that could go toe to toe with All Might in his prime.

A whispering in the back of his mind says some vague something about a prophecy being fulfilled.

"You have my thanks, kid." The hero gives a tired smile, "You said you've got a creepy quirk, well, let's see what you've got."

"Alright."

Izuku summons a tentacle from the ground between the two of them, followed by a few more surrounding it. The thin form of All Might looks at the tentacles with interest in his hum.

"I don't think it's that bad, kid. Sure, it's a bit of a strange looking quirk, but I've seen plenty of those. I think that if you really work at it, yeah, you've got a shot at being a hero with that quirk."

An explosion rings from down the block, small cracks and pops shocking through the air. Thin Might and Izuku lock eyes before they slowly drift down to the hero's empty pockets.

Shit.

Panic floods through their systems as they bolt down the stairs, Izuku spouting an endless stream of apologies the whole time.

☆◇☆

They reach the site of the explosions in no time and notice the area is in chaos. People watch on in horror as the sludge villain that tried to turn Izuku into a puppet earlier is now attempting to do the same to another teen. Heroes stand at the front of the pack, trying to keep the villain at bay, but their quirks are ultimately useless. The explosions are keeping Backdraft from getting close, the alley is too small for Mt. Lady to be able to even turn her quirk on, Death Arms can't close the distance, and Kamui Woods is being held back by the fire from the explosion.

Izuku takes a closer look. He gasps as he recognizes the teen causing the explosions.

'If you want to be a hero so bad…' Izuku hears in the back of his mind as he looks the victim in his pleading eyes.

Izuku watches on with wide eyes as Bakugou struggles hopelessly against the sludge villain's grasp. The sight fills him with an odd sense of deja vu. Futile struggling against an amorphous, sludge-like mass. It's similar to what he went through earlier, but something else seems familiar about it. The apparition of the Elder Things from a ternary star in Andromeda flashes in his mind's eye for a moment, barely longer than the flash of a camera.

No time to question it, just time to act. Bakugou's explosions are keeping the other heroes at bay. The villain has to have some weakness, some part of the body that can't turn into sludge. Izuku forces himself to the front of the pack as he looks for a weakness.

There!

Izuku rushes forward, backpack in hand, and takes aim. With a throw that could have been more graceful, the bag slams into the villain's eye, buying just that few extra seconds.

Bakugou coughs out sludge, "The fuck are you doing here nerd?!"

"You looked like you were asking for help, and I'm not going to let you die!" Izuku yells as he claws at the sludge, trying to get a decent grip on his personal tormentor.

Small Might watches as the boy struggles against the villain with clenched fists. 'I'm supposed to be the symbol of peace, and a child is being more of a hero than I am. I'm pathetic.' He huffs himself to his hero form at the back of the crowd before jumping into the fray.

"Have no fear citizens, for I am here!" He spouts his catchphrase as he lands behind Izuku. The hero grabs the bots and quickly, yet gently, places them behind him. "You've done well, children, but now it's time for a pro to show you how it's really done!"

Gold lightning lightly sparks around his arm as he rears it back, "Detroit Smash!" He calls as he uppercuts the villain, splattering the sludge all over the alleyway. The force of the punch reaches the sky and changes the weather to rain, putting the fires out.

Even while Izuku gets scolded for his actions by the other heroes as Bakugou is praised for his bravery and quirk, the greenette feels like a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had another idea for a story, a BNHA/Undertale crossover sorta.
> 
> Quirk: Alternate Self  
> Izuku has a total of 13 Alters that are based on various Undertale AUs (Underfell, Errortale, Help_tale, Outertale, etc) that have their own spin on a base set of abilities. User also has some shapeshifting powers tied to which Alter fronts.
> 
> Basically, Izuku picks up Alters that have personalities and powers based on various AU sanses/whomever has the Megalo in that universe. The base powers are Bone magic, Blasters, Blue magic, and Shortcut Teleportation (requires that you've already been there before, tempted to lock this and the blasters behind OFA merging with the quirk)
> 
> Also partly helps me when it comes to my big project that I'll be revealing as soon as I get all the species a bit more fleshed out, and the world and bit more cleaned up. I have a feeling you'll all like it.


	10. Telling The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku is scouted as All Might's successor, but makes a different choice than usual.

"Deku!"

Izuku turns and meets Bakugou's eyes. The walk home was a mostly quiet affair after he got away from the crowd. He'd had time to think to himself about everything that's happened today, and start to look at things from his sibling's perspectives. Part of him understands how they feel about Bakugou, however he still holds on to some hope that Bakugou can be a good person.

"I didn't need your help, you worthless piece of shit!" Bakugou spits out with vile vitriol, "Quit looking down on me!"

Bakugou says nothing else as he stalks off, Izuku's face quiet and contemplative as he disappears around a corner. The greenette stands there, head lost in his thoughts for minutes that feel like hours in seconds. He saved Bakugou, and the blond still is exactly the same. No thankfulness, no kindness in his heart, nothing but hate and pain from him.

'Is this what I tried to call a friend for so long?' Izuku thinks to himself, 'If I didn't move when I did, he would have died. I couldn't care less about the thanks, but this level of hate for someone that saved his life? Is this what I was protecting for so long?'

"Is that what Miku and Himi have seen the whole time?" Izuku asks himself quietly, eyes slightly unfocused as he reels his emotions in. 'I can have a breakdown later tonight, for now, just focus on getting home.'

"I am here!"

'Or maybe not.' Izuku's mind helpfully supplies.

"All Might? I thought the reporters were swarming you?"

"I stand for justice, not soundbites!" The deflated All Might proclaims with a chuckle, "I never got your name back there, but I wanted to thank you, kid."

"Izuku Midoriya, sir." Izuku replies, trying to wrap his head around today, "And thank me? For what?"

"From the way you hold yourself, I can tell life hasn't been kind to you. When I saw a kid who no doubt has suffered at the hands of his peers rush in to save someone, when I saw a beaten down child stand up for what's right, it spurred me into action." All Might elaborates with a proud grin, "Tell me, what went through your head when you rushed in there?" He asks, feeling like he already knows the answer.

Izuku bashfully rubs the back of his head, "Well, I wasn't really thinking, sir. My body just moved on its own."

"You know, many of the best pros have stories from their school days where their bodies moved on their own. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and a heroic heart driving you."

"I deem you worthy of my power, young Midoriya. My quirk is yours to inherit!" All Might proclaims, arms spread wide.

"Eh?" Izuku's mind comes to a screeching halt as he processes the last two sentences.

All Might chuckles, "My quirk is like a sacred torch, passed on to me by my master, and I would like to make you my successor!"

"I…" Izuku drifts off, his gaze looking towards the direction of his family's apartment, "Will only accept if my family can know. I'm not going into this alone, I trust them with everything. If they can't know, then as much as I want to accept, I can't. It wouldn't be right."

"A fine answer, young Midoriya." All Might agrees, "I can tell they mean a lot to you. Very well, I'll tell them everything they'd need to know. Just know that this secret can never get out."

Izuku smiles, a tired yet pleased look gracing his features, "Thank you, sir."

☆◇☆

"Izuku." Mikumo looks his brother in the eyes with an unreadable gaze that seems vaguely like exasperation, "What, and I mean this genuinely, The Fuck. You were alone for like fifteen minutes, how?"

Hisashi and Inko gape at the deflated number one hero with a look halfway between shock, confusion, and awe. All Might is in their home. He's much smaller than usual, yes, but he is in their home nonetheless. 

The two had arrived not long ago, Izuku coming home with a strange, unnaturally skinny man. Naturally, Inko and Hisashi were concerned. They thought they had done well with making sure their kids knew to be careful by themselves.

Then the skinny man buffed up into the number one hero, and they changed their tune almost instantly.

"We have much to discuss, I have an offer for your son and it would be best for you to know before any steps are taken."

Inko and Hisashi nod dumbly.

"To begin, what is said in this room does not leave it. It would be mass pandemonium in the streets if this information were to leak."

A chorus of "Of course, mister All Might, sir," rings through the room. All Might cracks an amused grin at the unity as he tries not to focus too hard on the eldritch creature sitting on the blonde girl's lap. Nogsoth bubbles a happy purr as Himiko absentmindedly pets her.

"My quirk has been theorized about many times, but its true nature has never been revealed, not to the public." The number one hero begins, "Two hundred years ago, there were two brothers. Their names have been lost to time, but the elder brother's nom de guerre is spoken throughout the criminal Underground as an omen. All For One, a man with the ability to give and take quirks, had a little brother that was thought to be quirkless. In the chaos at the beginning of the age of quirks, All For One found a stockpile quirk and forced it upon his little brother. Perhaps he did it in some twisted way to protect his brother."

"But his little brother was never Quirkless, he had a similar power to his brother, the ability to pass on his quirk." All Might continues, "This quirk became One For All. With this new quirk, the little brother set out to end All For One's reign over the criminal underground, and perished in the attempt. Before he died, he passed on One For All, and since then, the quirk has become like a sacred torch, and I have become its eighth holder. With your permission, I would like to make young Izuku my successor, and the ninth holder of One For All."

Mikumo and Himiko share a look and have a silent conversation with their eyes alone. Confusion, frustration, pride, and fear flick through their faces, asking and answering each other's unspoken questions.

Hisashi asks, "What are some side effects of the quirk?"

"If his body is not properly prepared and he cannot control the quirk in his first tries, there is a very real chance of broken bones." All Might explains, "We have ten months before the entrance exam, and he does seem to be in fairly good shape, so the backlash will hopefully be minimal."

"But there will be backlash regardless." Hisashi states with an inquiring tone, to which All Might nods.

"Sadly, yes." He sighs out.

Inko hums briefly before continuing, "Do you have any theories for how he could control it?"

"As it is, I think it would be best if he found his own way to use the quirk." All Might shakes his head in denial, "However, I can not recommend using one hundred percent of it at the beginning, though he might not be able to control that until after he's used the quirk a few times."

"Well, what is the quirk like to you?" Inko suggests, "Maybe that could bring in some ideas for how it works?"

"To me, One For All is a full body strength enhancement, I can control how much of that power I use at a time on a reflex without a second thought."

"Will it mess with his current quirk?" Hisashi inquires.

"Absolutely. One For All always boosts the wilder's original quirk, as well as giving them access to the stockpile." All Might confirms as he pointedly ignores Nogsoth crawling off Himiko's lap and going over to her food dish and devouring a trout whole, bones and all.

Inko nods as she takes everything in, her son receiving an extremely powerful quirk that is about as old as quirks are. Hisashi looks concerned, but she has faith in her children. 'No matter what,' she thinks to herself, 'those three will stick together. There's nothing they can't do.'

Hisashi speaks up next, "Who are the enemies, and is there even a slim chance that they are still around, even if just their organizations?"

All Might sighs as he answers, letting out a small cough, "As far as I know, the main enemy of One For All died five years ago with All For One. His many organizations, however, might still be around in some capacity. The man who gave me these scars may be dead, but I'm not sure exactly how deep his rule of the shadows went."

Silence permeates the room as they take in the danger of the situation. Himiko and Mikumo bump their fists against Izuku's in solidarity, a sign that he's not dealing with it alone.

"Why?" Hisashi pleads, almost begging for an answer, "Why this dangerous quirk? Why take this risk? Why Izuku?"

All Might's voice is full of an iron conviction as he replies, "Because he's got the heart of a hero, and I want him to reach his fullest potential."

☆◇☆

Not long after All Might leaves, Izuku finds himself sitting in his room quietly, looking at his hands as he weighs unseen options. If he does, he controls the narrative and potentially the outcome. If he doesn't, he has to sit at the mercy of his siblings. He has the chance to lighten the blow if he does it himself, so the choice becomes obvious.

'Forgive me, old friend.'

Better to control the damage than to hide it forever. He steps out of his room and walks quietly down the hall into the living room, looking up to see his siblings lounging on the couch while his parents talk near the kitchen, probably discussing options for dinner.

"Mom? Dad?" Izuku hesitantly starts, his voice shaking slightly as he bites his lip, not finding the prospect of what he is about to do enjoyable. 

"Yes, Izuku?"

'Now or never.' He thinks to himself, "I need to confess something to you."

Himiko's and Mikumo's eyes glide to him in shock. The two siblings share a brief look of disbelief at where their brother might be going with this before returning their attention raptly to Izuku.

"What's up kiddo?" Hisashi asks, sitting Izuku down on the sofa and taking a seat next to the boy.

The words that follow next from Izuku grasp their attention with an iron grip. 

"It's about Bakugou."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter got long, so next time, on Azath's Dawn!: Izuku talks about Bakugou, Inko plans a murder, and Hisashi is a good father.
> 
> Should I make a discord server? I've seen a lot of folks make servers for their works on here, so maybe?
> 
> I might do a couple fics to help myself with language stuff, I'm taking Klingon and Hawaiian on Duolingo and feel like it might help my learning those by using them. Something short, or a character that speaks it or something.


	11. Explosive Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku comes clean about Bakugou, Inko plans a murder, and Hisashi is a good father.

Red. That is all Inko can see.

They sat down in the living room half an hour ago because Izuku wanted to talk, but this? She never could have imagined what he told them.

"Bakugou… He hasn't been my friend for a long time." He told them quietly, like he didn't want to admit it to himself, "Not since my quirk came in, or a bit before then. He saw it and immediately made me out to be a villain, taking every chance he could to use his quirk on me."

Countless scars mar his body, a galaxy's worth of starbursts sit dotted all around his chest and back. He told them who caused those scars, and never before has Inko felt so much  _ hatred. _

"Bakugou burned me at every opportunity, changed my name to Deku among our classmates, he did everything he could to break me." He admitted, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the mottled mess of burn scars, "The teachers all saw, and did nothing."

' _ How dare he.' _ She internally seethes, ' _ How dare Katsuki hurt my baby like this?' _

Then Himiko and Mikumo cut in, telling Izuku to stop sugarcoating it, and Inko feels pure, unadulterated wrath.

"Dude, it wasn't just Bakabitch." Mikumo spoke up, sounding an awful lot like his father in that moment.

"Don't forget his lackeys, Zuku." Himiko spoke softly, like the words were something shameful to admit.

Katsuki, the son of one of her best friends, has done nothing but  _ torment _ her son. The blond brat has been Izuku's personal villain for nearly ten years, and no one did anything, not even his siblings. His teachers let it happen, his classmates beat and broke him, and his siblings never  _ told them _ . There are long conversations to be had, but at the moment, all Inko can feel is wrath. The day Katsuki suffers can not come soon enough.

And then, Izuku mentions what Katsuki told him to do earlier in the day, and Inko feels a level of sheer, absolute hatred, that she starts shaking, trying to restrain herself from maiming the explosive blond. The human body is full of small objects her quirk can work on, and oh does the picture of a broken and bloody Katsuki feel so satisfying in her mind.

"And then today, after school…" Izuku started, staring at the floor like it held the most interesting secrets in the world. His siblings nudged themselves closer to him and placed supporting hands on his shoulders, urging him forward. "Today, after school, he told me something."

"What'd he say?" Hisashi whispered, holding his emotions in as tightly as possible. He could always let off the steam at work later, and in that moment, Inko looked ready to kill.

"If you want to be a hero so bad, here's some quick advice. Take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a better quirk in your next life." Izuku's voice chokes on the last word as he falls into tears.

Hisashi takes one look at his wife and pales immediately. Anything not nailed down floats around her as her eyes glow a toxic green. His wife's hair flows in an unseen breeze, her quirk ebbing and flowing on naturally unseen winds of aetherous fluid. The raw, murderous hatred pouring off of her sends chills through his core, eyes 

"Kids, get your things, we're going out for a bit."

"Huh?"

"Now." Hisashi whispers with a panicked forcefulness in his voice and no room for arguments in his tone. The strained smile on his face conveys the seriousness of the endeavor, and the children rush off to their rooms for the essentials without a word. All three reach the front door in record time, Hisashi ushering them outside while keeping an eye on his wife.

They exit the apartment, close the door, and hear crashing from the other side.

☆◇☆

Hisashi guides the kids to a nearby park while he comfortingly keeps an arm around Izuku, letting his son cry with a fatherly touch of "I'm here." The walk is quiet, aside from Izuku's occasional sniffling, but the tension radiating off Himiko and Mikumo can be cut with a knife. 

'Good.' Hisashi thinks to himself as he purposefully walks a little slower, 'They know what's coming. Let them suffer the anxiety of this a little more, they kept this from us for who knows how long.'

They reach the park with no incident and he has the three of them sit down on a bench while he stands, looking in front of them. The park is empty, and Hisashi thanks whichever deity caused this. Now he can have a tough conversation with his kids in peace. At least it's a nice day out, a cool breeze rolling through the air. No amount of nice weather can prevent what is now to happen.

Izuku's two siblings hold on to him, comforting him as they sit together. Tears roll down his cheeks quietly, and Hisashi hates the implications of that. Quiet criers don't want to be heard.

"Mikumo, Himiko, you're both grounded for keeping this from us." Hisashi states bluntly with no sugarcoating. 

"That's fair." The two mutter in agreement. Honestly, they both expected something like this was going to happen. At least Izuku spoke up instead of keeping the lie going indefinitely.

Hisashi nods as he continues, "The three of you aren't going to Aldera anymore if I have a say in it. I'll have to discuss the specifics of all this with your mother, but we're either transfering you somewhere else, or homeschooling you until UA. Homeschooling might work best with your new training schedules, but again, have to talk to your mother about it first."

Himiko and Mikumo flinch at the mention of their mother. With how she was when they left, the idea of facing her awakens a nameless fear in their hearts.

"Now." His voice drips with a tone he only brings out for work, causing Mikumo and Himiko to flinch, "The two of you had best explain exactly what compelled you to keep this from us. We have done nothing but try to protect you, try to help you. So start talking. Now." Hisashi's eyes seem to glow as he stares his kids down, making it clear with just his posture that if the explanation is not satisfactory, their punishment is going to get much, much worse. He'd never lay a hand on his kids outside of training, but he knows how to make a punishment sting.

Fatherly Disappointment is a powerful poison when used against someone who highly values their father, and Hisashi is  _ very _ disappointed.

"It's my fault." Izuku speaks up quietly, cutting off what his siblings were going to say before they could say anything, "I begged them not to."

Hisashi looks at his son, trying to see any tells of a lie. Izuku is still, looking firmly at the ground. His leg isn't bouncing, his hands are clasped together, and his breathing is perfectly even. There are no obvious tells of a lie, and Hisashi sighs a long suffering sigh. This just became a little more complicated.

"I need some more information here, kiddo."

Izuku takes a few deep breaths before he continues, calming his nerves and not once meeting his father's eyes, "When Bakugou and the others would go after me, Mikumo and Himiko would always step in if they were around, mostly just keeping them off me at least. It started like it was just a one time thing, but… when they started trying to take it to the teachers, the teachers never listened. They wanted to go to you two, but I didn't. I thought, for so, so long, that Bakugou might have some good in him. I believed so much that he had potential to be a great hero that I never noticed who he is, not until today. Even then, I don't know if I can hate him."

"Izuku…"

"He hurt me for so long, and I don't know if I can hate him for it. I should, I know I should, but…"

"You thought he was your friend for years, and now that you can see that he never was, you don't know what to think." Hisashi supplies quietly.

Izuku nods, tears slipping down his face.

"Alright," Hisashi sighs, "Here's what we're going to do. First, get you three out of Aldera. Inko and I are going to be dealing with that on our own while the three of you get homeschooled or do online schooling. You've got the week off aside from training as far as I'm concerned." He explains, getting a nod of affirmation out of his kids as he continues, "Second, we're going to take some that time off to sort all the rest of this out, including getting a therapist for you, Izuku. There's no way in hell you don't need it."

Izuku shrinks slightly under the idea of seeing a therapist, but his dad has a point, so he just nods quietly and keeps his complaints to himself.

"Third, I'm going to kick all of your training into high gear. UA is ten months away, and none of you can afford to slack off." Hisashi explains with his voice completely serious, "You want to be heroes? You're going to have to work for it. You'll be on weights until your arms feel like they're going to fall off to build up your strength, you'll be running every single day to build up your stamina, we are going to grill you on every subject so you ace the written test, and we are going to push your quirks further than they ever have been pushed before. So you'd best be ready, because the next ten months are going to be an absolute hell."

The three kids gulp at the description.

"If I tell you to do something, you will do it without complaint. If I tell you to drop and give me twenty, you drop and give me twenty, right then and there."

The three of them nod with a "Yes, sir."

"We'll train you hard, you'll feel pain in muscles you didn't know you had, and you'll learn first aid to deal with it all." Hisashi stares into their souls as he emphasizes what is to come, "You'll be able to take down All Might himself by the end of it, and the three of you are going to be the best damned heroes to walk this earth."

"I understand." The three teens intone in sync.

Hisashi levels them a look he picked up from his old friend in high school, "Good, because when training starts, you're going to really feel the burn."

☆◇☆

The walk back home is led by Izuku, Hisashi trailing behind his three kids to make sure Himiko and Mikumo don't try to make a break for it to escape their mother's judgement. Izuku and Hisashi sip on their shakes, the most therapeutic of drinks if you asked them, as they approach the apartment building.

When they return home, the living room is a mess. It looks like a hurricane tore through. They watch as Inko emptily picks up their various trinkets that usually rest on the counters and returns them to where they should be.

She looks up, noticing her family's arrival. She sighs. "We'll talk about all of this tomorrow, I just, not right now. I can't." Her eyes are filled with a deep sense of exhaustion that the four of them can't remember ever seeing before.

Mikumo and Himiko feel like they've been stabbed as they wilt in on themselves. Their father's disappointment hurt less than Inko's exhausted heartbreak. The two slink up to their rooms silently and ashamedly, and don't come out for the rest of the night.

Hisashi grins internally, face perfectly neutral.

An effective punishment indeed.

Hisashi prepares a simple dish of fried rice and dinner is a quiet affair, as most of the afternoon has been. No one knows what else to say about the whole ordeal quite yet. Hisashi takes a bowl each up to his other two kids, face betraying no emotion as he does so.

After dinner, Izuku stands to head back off towards his room.

"Izuku." Hisashi speaks up, voice stopping him in his tracks, causing the greenette to turn and look at his father curiously. "Thank you for telling us about Katsuki. I know it had to have been hard for you. I'm proud of you, kiddo."

Izuku smiles softly as he drags himself to bed, his parents following suit not long after.

Inko breaks and sobs into Hisashi's shoulder when they get settled into their room, thankful for the soundproofing they installed in the room a few years back. It's hard to have an active sex life with three kids in the house, especially ones that hear strange noises and immediately investigate. After being almost caught once, soundproofing became an almost impossible to ignore option. It proved its value barely a month later, when Hisashi got in a particularly nasty car accident and was in a coma for a week. The kids didn't hear her sobbing into the night then, and they can't hear her now.

"Where?" She cries, "Where did we go so wrong? How did we never notice?"

Hisashi rubs soothing circles in her back as he replies, "I don't know, honey. I don't know."

A few minutes pass in relative silence as Inko's tears slow. They sit together in bed, Hisashi holding onto Inko's hand as she slowly calms down, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand gently all the while.

"He's too nice for his own good." Inko whispers, her voice tired from crying so much.

Hisashi sighs, "When he gets into UA, he'll learn some lessons the hard way. Being too nice, too forgiving, that can get people killed as a hero. But that's for future us to worry about, let's just focus on the now."

"Aldera is going to burn for what they did to Izuku." Inko growls out quietly, her hair floating involuntarily, "They allowed our son to be beaten down, broken, they made him believe he was a burden!"

"I know just the guys to call for it." Hisashi grins maliciously, 

☆◇☆

Later that night, at 2 a.m. specifically, Katsuki wakes up to the feeling of a set of eyes staring into his mortal soul. Looking around his room, nothing is out of place. He drags himself towards his window and finds nothing but empty streets beyond it.

He slinks outside for a walk, thinking that the fresh air will do him good. He's felt on edge since he got home as it is.

Walking by a forest, he notices movement in the corner of his vision. He follows the sight.

A head of blond hair with a black streak in it pops into his vision. Beside the blond stands a girl with long, deep green hair tied in a bow at the end. They stare at him blankly, unseeing yet all too seeing. He can only see their vague outlines with the light behind them, but something about the air makes him freeze. Their inky black eyes are blank, distant yet far too present.

"Katsuki Bakugou." The blond intones in a way that vaguely sounds human, "You have committed great sins against our Father, but there may be hope for you yet."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Sign your name in the Book of Azathoth and all shall be forgiven in time." He says, summoning a book and quill from beyond the depths and angled time with an unnatural grin.

"The fuck is there to forgive, I've done nothing wrong!"

The two of them look at him, through him, and into his mortal soul at the exact same time. Bakugou suppresses a shudder, trying to ignore the heavy sense of  _ wrong _ screaming through his brain.

"Continue as you are and you shall make a good mate for my daughter." The green haired girl states, a feeling of foreboding radiating from her very being.

Behind her, the silhouette of the black goat of the woods with a thousand young looms, innumerable eyes ravenously locked with the explosive teen's. From the shadows in the woods, he can feel as her thousand young observe his every movement, like a predator watching their prey.

"Shub-Niggurath," the green haired girl beckons, "Do you find him desirable?"

The tree-like entity looks at Bakugou and purrs in a tone that might be construed as lust in some wretchedly blighted way. The unholy sound fills him with an unnatural disgust, as well as an emotion he doesn't recognize, fear.

The green haired girl croaks out a mirthless chuckle, "Then you may have him, when the stars are right."

Bakugou turns tail and runs back home, panic etched all over his features.

If he would have looked up, he would have seen Inko Midoriya glaring at him with radioactively glowing green eyes from her bedroom window with a satisfied grin and tear streaks on her face.

He never noticed the living song sitting in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long! Thank you all so much for all the patience.
> 
> I promise I'll try to get more things out soon!
> 
> Mari Chisaki, Retsubu Shigaraki, AUzuku, Helltaker Izuku, Tenshi Seikouchu, Teleportation Troubles, Unimatrix 09, I've got stories with the next chapter in the works that hopefully I can start getting posted. Plus some updates to an old fic where the members of Class 1-A are abducted by aliens.
> 
> And some Steven Universe fics.
> 
> And a couple Star Trek fics.
> 
> Welp.
> 
> Back to the crackin!


	12. Inhairitance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku meets Yaoyorozu and then learns what All Might's hair tastes like.

The training for One For All is a form of cruel and unusual consensual torture, Izuku decides as he attempts to drag a fridge that All Might is currently flexing on top of.

Hisashi and Toshinori are slave drivers when it comes to their training, showing little mercy and pushing them as far as they can. Every part of the three sibling's bodies is sore every morning, except for the physical rest days, which are for education and equally as exhausting. Inko teaches them on as many subjects as she can fit into a day, ranging from algebra to physics to history to mythology and other literature. Himiko is surprisingly adept at anatomy, while Mikumo is best with trigonometry. 

Izuku, to no one's surprise, excels with mythology and language.

Toshinori's rigorous plan for training, augmented by Hisashi's Drill Sergeant regime, has taught Izuku the locations of muscles he never knew he had through sheer pain alone.

His sleep is regular, unless Hisashi decides to wake his three kids up for midnight laps and calisthenics. The lesson of sleep being a rare commodity for a hero is not lost on them. Sleep is now infinitely more satisfying for them.

His mind wanders back to the reminders his parents gave the three of them before this training started in full.

"Kids, your mother and I don't care if you need contraception or if you need to hide a body." The sound of Hisashi's prior talk with them echoes in his mind, "You come to us with these important things, it's our job to look after you, not the other way around."

"We should have to be telling you to not go having kids just yet, but things happen. We know what it's like to be teens." Inko wistfully reminisced about some of the chaotic trouble she got herself in in college, "Promise us that you'll come to us if you ever find yourself in need of something, or if you're in some kind of trouble."

Izuku and his two siblings quickly agreed, if only to avoid the chance for the conversation to go in some more uncomfortable directions.

Returning his focus back to the present, Izuku feels that he has made decent progress in the war against beached trash. His eyes roam over the still plethora of garbage piles as he wines his brow with the back of a gloved hand.

Just a few more months of bloody sweat before his body is ready.

He can do this.

☆◇☆

Izuku sits at the beach one night, slowly moving trash into more manageable piles. Occasionally, at points during his training, he finds himself unable to sleep. He's found that the simple and repetitive nature of moving the beached trash into piles is soothing, therapeutic in some senses. The sounds of the ocean remind him of a home he's never visited, the gentle sea breeze caressing his skin ever so softly.

Footsteps echo down the sidewalk, catching his attention thoroughly. A tall girl in a plain sweatshirt aimlessly meanders down the street, lips pursed in thought as she looks nowhere in particular.

"Heya." Izuku greets, startling the girl out of her thoughts, "You look like you've a lot on your mind. You want to talk about any of it?"

The girl hesitates, and Izuku takes the opportunity to get a better look at her. She's got long, smooth black hair. Graphite grey eyes look at him as she bites the inside of her cheek, mulling over his offer. She looks healthy, her skin is smooth and she doesn't look like she's been hurt in any physical way, but emotions are a fickle thing.

He also feels like his neck is going to get a crick in it if he has a long enough conversation with her, given that she's a good head taller than him.

"I… guess I could?" The girl replies with uncertainty in her voice, "It might help. Momo Yaoyorozu." She greets the boy.

"Izuku Midoriya." He greets in return, "We can talk at the end of the pier, no one will bother us down there."

Yaoyorozu nods and follows him as he guides her towards the spot in question. The occasional creak of the old boardwalk wood permeates the air, just as the constant sound of rolling ocean waves. The stars twinkle against the dark sea, the light of the galaxy in full view of the clear skies. They quickly reach a bench towards the dn of the pier, and Izuku takes a seat.

"Do you ever feel like family can be a bit… overbearing?" She asks, sitting on the bench next to him as she looks up to the stars, "Like they want one thing, and only that one thing of you, and they'll go to any lengths to get it?"

Izuku hums to himself briefly, "Maybe not my family, but I think I get what you mean. That feeling of unnecessarily heavy expectations being dropped on you just because you're you."

"That's exactly it." She sighs, "They want me to be a proper lady to inherit their businesses, but I just want to be a hero. They've changed their attempts after it became obvious to them that I wasn't going to change my mind, but…"

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

She nods, "I never had the chance to be a normal person, they always wanted me to be something wonderful and great in their own image. They never wanted  _ me _ , they wanted an ideal heir and I fit that role for them perfectly. Sometimes I wonder if it's a cosmic lesson left to me by some prior existence."

"The good and the bad all neatly wrapped up into one. You were given great fortune, at a great price. Existence does that, leaves you with a complicated set of feelings." Izuku responds, quietly observing the rolling ocean waves with a distant familiarity, "Maybe what you need is someone you can discover what it means to be normal with."

She laughs mirthlessly, "With my quirk, I'm not sure how many would let me."

"What is your quirk, anyhow?" He asks her.

A russian nesting doll emerges from her hand in a sparkle of light as she explains, "I can create anything nonliving from my fat cells, so long as I know the chemical composition."

"That's an amazing quirk!" Izuku beams excitedly, "You could probably replicate a good number of emitter quirks with it, like a sort of ignitable nitroglycerin sweat."

"That seems oddly specific?" She muses aloud.

"Ah, well, it's the quirk of…" Izuku drifts off, looking out towards the ocean, "An old acquaintance. It still feels weird not calling him a friend, but my siblings are right, he never has been."

"Oh, I'm sorry then!" She nervously waves her hands, "I shouldn't have brought it up!"

He shrugs, "It's no trouble. I need to get used to it anyways." He sighs as he returns his gaze to the rolling ocean, "It took me far too long to realize what kind of a person he really was, and I still can't find it in myself to hate him. By all means, I deserve to hate him more than anyone else, but I just can't. I don't like him, but I can't hate him."

"We aren't so different, are we?" She wonders, "Both of us believing the source of our troubles to be in the right for so long, only to realize that it was all a lie."

"The only natural law is change." He muses, "Everything stays the same, ultimately, but everything changes. It's unavoidable. All we can do is change with the world."

"Indeed."

A comfortable silence lapses between them, both opting to take in the sight of the rolling ocean as their thoughts settle down. Time ticks on, the steady lullaby of the waves soothing their souls. The distant stars feel closer, yet just as far away. The past, present, and future, all fade away into one moment that feels like it will never end, and neither hopes it will.

Izuku slips a hand into his pocket, fishing around for something to write with and on. Hisashi's impromptu quizzes have left him with a permanent list of things he keeps his pockets filled with at all times, the only thing he has to do is find them. He finds what he's looking for and quickly scribbles down his name and number on a card.

"If you can ever get away from your parents and want to meet up, or just need someone to talk to." He offers, holding the slip of paper out to her, "Sometimes you just need someone to lean on. I learned that one just recently, myself."

She smiles, accepting the paper and quickly adding the number to her phone's contacts.

"Well, I'd best be going. I don't want mother to notice my absence." Yaoyorozu stands from her spot on the bench and stretches lightly, loosening herself up for the walk back home.

"Take care of yourself and text me if you ever just need someone to talk to." Izuku says in return.

She nods, "Of course."

As she turns to walk back home, Izuku's mind feels like something is familiar about her quirk. The cool breeze focuses his thoughts on something distant, dark, cold, and implacably familiar. The image of a throne of darkness waiting in a palace beyond time and space manifests in his mind, leaving him with more questions than answers. The name of the one who carved out the stars and natural order sits on the edge of his tongue, but miles out of reach.

A few minutes after she disappears from view, Izuku decides to return home as well. The night is young, and so is he. Sleep is a curse he is blessed to receive.

Far above the clouds, a living song sings happily.

☆◇☆

A month before the entrance exams, the beach is clean. Toshinori arrives in his worn red pickup truck as he does regularly to haul off any loads his pupil has prepared in the meantime, yet when he arrives at the beach, surprise floods his mind.

The beach is clear, even down into the horizon, save for one lone mound of carefully stacked and sifted trash that is ready to be hauled off.

"Holy… freaking…" Toshinori mutters to himself in awe as he takes in the sight of the beach, subconsciously shifting to his All Might form in the process, "SUPER CRAP!"

He looks up at the exhausted form of Izuku, standing like a triumphant king atop the final mound of debris, his eyes staring off into the horizon. His shirt sits folded neatly on top of his bag across from the base of the pile, the scars marring his skin seeming to glow darkly against his otherwise pale complexion. An air of regality flows off of the boy, making him seem infinitely older, infinitely wiser in the ways of the world. The ocean breeze flows around him, ruffling through his hair like the idly resting tendrils of beings from beyond the stars.

He looks like the perfect inheritor, All Might thinks to himself. Whether for One For All or something greater, he does not know.

Izuku snaps back to reality as he realizes his audience. The regal air vanishes as he returns to himself and looks down at the number one hero with a smile. He jumps down and lands with a roll, a simple move he's been practicing for his mobility lately. The chilled sand between his toes crinkles softly below him, the ocean mist gently brushing against his skin as he stands before the hero.

The hero plucks a golden hair from his head, an action that sparks some confusion in Izuku, but not enough to question. All Might sometimes just does things.

"Eat this!" All Might booms as he holds the hair out in front of the boy.

The follicle flutters gracefully in the ocean breeze. Izuku watches as it flows, hesitantly reaching for his destiny and curling the hair around his finger. He looks at it, feeling like the future itself will change when he accepts the gift.

Izuku puts the coiled hair in his mouth and swallows it with a grimace. A distant part of his mind feels like some step of a prophecy has taken place. The feeling of settling lightning coils in his gut happily as it just barely begins to dissolve into his system. It's a surreal sensation, torrents of emotions swirling and balancing each other out.

"Congratulations, Young Izuku. You've earned it." All Might praises, "I'm proud of you, my boy. You have one month before the entrance exam to learn One For All, that should be plenty of time for you to get a handle on the raw power. But for now, take some time to rest."

Across town, a blond, a ravenette, and a greenette all smile for reasons unknown to them, yet known the very essence of their souls. The clock ticks forward as the song moves into a new act.

The feeling of lightning sparks faintly through him over the course of the coming hours, feeling like a swelling balloon of potential in his veins. He grins, realizing what is changing inside him.

Izuku goes to sleep that night planning hundreds of ways that the quirk could be used.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this taking so long to get out! I swear, I need a handler in order to get these things done, or at least someone to yell at me to finish a chapter. Someone to bounce things off of to keep the flow smooth and steady or something.
> 
> As is basically customary in these End Notes of mine, I've had another fic idea. A Steven Universe × BNHA crossover, pulling some multiverse shenanigans and pulling Steven and Connie into the BNHAverse, while dropping Izuku, Hatsume, Mic (or some other UA teacher, maybe Midnight or Power Loader), and Yaoyorozu into Pre-Cluster and Post-Calling-Yellow-Diamond-A-Clod-To-Her-Face time.
> 
> Also a Sonic fic where the Chaos Emeralds and possessed, a fic where Flowey tells Asgore about the human's genocide runs and kicking the king into gear before they can reach Snowdin, a story where the Trial Of Rose Quartz picks up 2 extra Zircons and White Diamond decides she wants to show up, Undertale AUs but it's other series, two Star Trek fics, and then my Original Universe, Perfect Unity, which takes "Humans are weird" scifi, elemental magic, and draws inspiration from a bunch of series and turns it all into something new and fun where anything can happen.
> 
> I've been busy with ideas. And then you still have to consider the wips I have on here.
> 
> Writing is fun, as always, comments are appreciated!


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